Toronto 
The proposed Windsor National Urban Park is moving forward as the long-awaited land transfer of Ojibway Shores from Transport Canada to Parks Canada has been completed.
Credit: City of Windsor
Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Irek Kusmierczyk, made the announcement on behalf of Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport.
Ojibway Shores holds significant ecological value, as it features the last undeveloped shoreline of the Detroit River in the Windsor-Detroit area. The area provides a crucial ecological link between the river and the Ojibway Prairie Complex, a group of five closely located municipal and provincial parks and natural areas, including Ojibway Park, Black Oak Heritage Park, Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, Spring Garden Natural Area, and the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve.
The lands and waters hold cultural and historical importance to First Nations peoples who have maintained them for millennia. Establishing a national urban park in the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy offers an opportunity to support and foster First Nations’ leadership in conservation and restoration efforts. Additionally, the Detroit River has cultural significance in terms of Black history and its connection to the Underground Railroad.
Following the land transfer, the federal government can initiate remediation through cleanup operations to benefit the local environment and support the many plant and animal species that rely on it for survival. Parks Canada has provided $1.3 million to the City of Windsor to acquire a strategic property on Titcombe Road, the only developed residential property on the road, surrounded by the proposed national urban park study area. The acquisition of this property will enable the restoration of the land and improve ecological connectivity between the surrounding natural areas within the proposed park study area.
Ojibway Shores serves as a critical habitat for numerous rare and endangered species and acts as a stop-over for migratory birds. The natural shoreline also provides a movement corridor and nesting habitat for endangered turtles such as the Spiny Softshell.
In addition to Windsor, Parks Canada has initiated exploratory processes for potential national urban parks similar to Rouge National Urban Park in various Canadian municipalities, including Victoria, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Halifax, with early discussions also underway in Montreal.
Launched in August 2021, Parks Canada’s new program aims to create a network of national urban parks contributing to conservation goals, providing access to nature for major population centers, and supporting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
As part of the federal government’s commitment to protect biodiversity and conserve 25% of lands and waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030, Parks Canada will continue working with partners to establish a network of national urban parks in Canada’s major urban centers.
